Our view: Put wind to work

They are lighting and heating homes and businesses and villages.

From the chiropractor in Palmer to villages like Chevak, people are cutting their dependence on fossil fuels and tapping clean, renewable energy and saving money in the process.

Oil and gas will provide our mainstay fuels for some time to come. But look around, as reporter Rindi White did in the story "Power hungry," and you can see both an intriguing present and a growing future.

Both the state and federal governments have significant investments in renewable energy projects in Alaska. But it's clear that some Alaskans aren't waiting for an official policy or the next conservation program. That's encouraging because it means we can learn from both state-backed projects and individual efforts what works, both in engineering and financial terms.

Renewable energy that breaks the bank -- either a family's or an agency's -- isn't going to help. But renewable energy that pays for itself in the not-too-long run is energy that will sell itself.

The Alaska Village Electric Cooperative hopes wind power and other measures will save more than 20 percent of the 5 million gallons of diesel it uses each year. A Valley couple is heating their home with sun-warmed water as a way to cut energy costs without cutting comfort. Chena Hot Springs generates power from the geothermal sources that warm resort visitors.

Anchorage may be a little behind the curve with small-scale renewable energy for several reasons.

Until recently, we've had cheap natural gas to supply our electricity and heat -- no need to fool around with money-saving alternatives. That has certainly changed.

Also, the city wants to finish working on new land-use rules before deciding where residents will be allowed to fire up wind turbines. Installing a wind generator is not like putting up a satellite TV dish discreetly perched on a house. A wind turbine stands out when you stand it up. It's an industrial machine that will understandably cause concern to nearby property owners. As energy costs rise and alternatives look more practical, we'll need to figure out where it's appropriate to have backyard wind generators in Alaska's biggest city.

Another hurdle is at the city-owned electric utility. It has yet to establish the price it will pay for electricity that comes from wind machines and other small-scale power sources.

Even so, Anchorage may soon see a major investment in wind energy. The Native corporation CIRI is pushing ahead with an ambitious plan for the state's largest wind power installation on the otherwise undeveloped Fire Island.

Renewable energy is no greenie pipe dream. The technology is here and now, and Alaskans are starting to take advantage of it, showing the Alaska spirit of innovation and improvisation.

Thanks to all who put their money up to answer the question, "What if we try ..." If we keep investing, we'll catch the wind, keep our state cleaner, keep the lights on and save a buck.

BOTTOM LINE: Oil and gas aren't going away for a long time, but in Alaska they have more company, and that's good.